An audio interface box for vehicles that is located in the vehicle is disclosed in DE 10 2008 051 663 A1 (“the '663 application”). The audio interface box includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, by means of which it is connected to a vehicle modem through a USB bulk, a USB Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), a USB Communication Device Class (CDC), a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) serial, a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus or a Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) bus connection. In order to expand the bandwidth of the information and entertainment options available in the vehicle, the '663 application proposes that the vehicle modem be implemented as a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) modem or a High Speed Packet Access (HSDPA) modem and that a data processing and sorting unit be located between the UMTS or HSDPA modem on one hand and the audio interface box on the other hand, by means of which data received from the UMTS or HSDPA modem can be processed and sorted in such a manner that Internet radio programs can be received and played by means of the audio interface box.
US 2007/061725 A1 (“the '725 publication”) depicts a system and method for managing content between different client devices in various domains (such as a vehicle, a home, and a person). The system and method include a user interface, a wireless transceiver, and a controller. The user interface is used to receive an input from a user to change the presentation of the content from a first client device to a second client device. The wireless transceiver is capable of wirelessly transmitting the input from the user through the communication system. The controller is responsive to the input from the user and used to determine a content format for the second device. The controller may also be used for determining whether the second device has a network capability for accessing the content format. Depending on the determinations made by the controller, the controller will transmit a data message to the second device to activate access to the content if the second device has the network capability for accessing the content format. On the other hand, the controller will obtain the content and transmit the obtained content to the second device if the second device does not have the network capability for accessing the content format.
An audio interface box for vehicles is disclosed in DE 10 2008 051 663 A1 (the '663 application). By means of a vehicle wireless local area network (WLAN) dongle or its WLAN antenna, the vehicle's approach to a WLAN network access point can be detected. The WLAN network is a network that is associated with the vehicle user, to which a server unit or a media server belongs. In the vicinity of the access point of the WLAN network associated with the vehicle user, the vehicle WLAN dongle can be synchronized automatically with the server unit or media server of the WLAN network associated with the vehicle user. Once the vehicle WLAN dongle is synchronized with the media server of the WLAN network, files that are stored in a memory of the media server can be transmitted by the server to the WLAN dongle or to its USB memory stick and received there by means of a connection between the access point or the WLAN network on the one hand and the WLAN antenna or vehicle WLAN dongle on the other hand. These files can be stored in the USB memory stick of the WLAN dongle and can be forwarded by the WLAN dongle to the audio interface box through the USB or MTP connection and the USB port. The vehicle WLAN dongle and the media server of the WLAN network associated with the vehicle user are prepared or set such that the synchronization between the vehicle WLAN dongle and the network media server. It is always initiated and carried out automatically when the vehicle, and with it the WLAN dongle, approaches the access point of the WLAN network associated with the vehicle user. After synchronization, a determination can be made by means of the vehicle WLAN dongle as to whether files are present in the memory of the media server that should be transferred from the memory to the audio interface box located in the vehicle. If this is determined by the vehicle WLAN dongle, then these files are transmitted from the memory to the USB memory stick of the WLAN dongle. As soon as it is determined by the vehicle WLAN dongle that the vehicle is leaving the area of the access point of the WLAN network associated with the vehicle user, the vehicle WLAN dongle automatically switches over to a mass storage mirror operation. In this mass storage mirror operation, data or files stored in the USB memory stick of the WLAN dongle are mirrored to or towards the audio interface box located in the vehicle. Thus, files prepared and assembled in the media server of the WLAN network associated with the vehicle user are automatically transferred from the memory of the media server to the audio interface box of the vehicle so that they are always available to the vehicle user. By means of the UMTS modem that is associated with the vehicle WLAN dongle, it is possible for Internet radio programs to be received through a UMTS connection that is established between the vehicle WLAN dongle and the WLAN network provided with the Internet access point when the vehicle approaches an Internet access point or hotspot equipped with a WLAN network. The vehicle WLAN dongle, which is also designed as a data processing and sorting unit, processes the received data so that the Internet radio programs are accessible and can be automatically stored in the USB memory stick of the vehicle WLAN dongle and/or played by means of the vehicle audio interface box.